No place for fire and rehire in Glasgow Council dispute
Scottish Greens MSPs and councillors have condemned Glasgow City Council’s decision to threaten workers with mass fire and rehire and called on all parties to urgently agree a deal that can be put to workers.
Green MSP Iris Duane said it “would be the biggest act of workplace vandalism in a generation” if it went ahead. Instead, the threat must be withdrawn and negotiations must resume.
Glasgow Greens council group co-leader, Lana Reid-McConnell, said:
“We have always been clear that collective agreement is the right way to implement the new pay and grading system, bringing an end to pay discrimination in Glasgow.
“Unions and officers need to get back round the table as soon as possible and get a deal that can be put to workers. Union members have the right to be consulted on the best possible offer, and to have their say on the deal.
“We are incredibly concerned that negotiations have broken down in this way. We will firmly oppose fire and rehire, which should never have been threatened and must not happen.
“The current proposal increases the Council's pay bill by 10%, while the Council is also facing a £110million black hole over the next 3 years.
“Glasgow is facing a financial crisis - not all of it is of our own making. Scottish councils have been persistently underfunded for years, with Glasgow City Council facing unique pressures on our budget. The Scottish Government has a part to play here to fix council funding and let Glasgow put the best possible deal for workers on the negotiating table.
Scottish Greens MSP for Glasgow Iris Duane said:
“The proposed firing and rehiring of 23,000 Glasgow City Council workers would be the biggest act of workplace vandalism in a generation, under no circumstances should the council let this happen.
‘’Whilst the council is correct to attempt to fix pay inequality, these actions do nothing to support that. As so many across our city are bracing for a long cold winter, workers deserve better than uncertainty based on decisions they did not make.’’
“The council and trade unions, with support from the Scottish Government, must come back to negotiating in good faith. Scottish Government ministers need to step up and support Glasgow to get a deal on the table that the unions can accept and council officers must withdraw their anti-worker threats.”